RockABye Baby
by Lady Emily
Summary: When Cody finds an abandoned baby, he asks Bailey to help him take care of it. Meanwhile, Zack keeps getting blamed for things he didn't do.
1. Part I

A/N: Hi all! Another two-parter, this time based on a prompt by Boris Yeltsin. As always, enjoy!

Disclaimer: The _Suite Life _series is not mine and I am making no profit from the writing of this story.

* * *

Cody Martin looked worriedly at the ominous gray sky as he scooped up another dirty towel off the deck. Working double shifts at his towel boy job on the S.S. Tipton was no fun, but he had to do it if he wanted to spend any time with his mother when she came for a visit this weekend. He loved the freedom of going to school on the cruise ship, but he had to admit he was looking forward to seeing his mom again. They were supposed to be making port in two days, but he wondered if the approaching storm system would slow them down. Already the waves were getting choppy, sending a few of the more weak-stomached passengers below decks.

"Hey Codester, toss me a towel, I've got a spill back here." His brother Zack called from behind the smoothie bar.

"For the last time, these are pool towels, for the passengers!" Cody called back. "You've got your own towels to clean up over there."

Zack waved the rag he'd just used to wipe the counter. "Yeah, but all my towels are dirty!" A few of the patrons at the counter made disgusted faces and walked away. "Now see what you did?"

Cody rolled his eyes and turned away just in time to see a dark-haired young woman tumble down the stairs and take a hard fall onto the deck. "Oh my gosh! Are you all right?" He and Zack pushed through the crowd of concerned bystanders that had witnessed the accident. Cody knelt by the woman's head- she was breathing, but unconscious. "Zack, call the infirmary!"

Mr. Moseby appeared on the deck just as the medics were moving the still-unconscious woman off the scene on a stretcher. "Oh my! What happened here?" He glanced around at the medics, the woman, the worried passengers, and finally his gaze zeroed in on Zack. "_What did you do?_" he asked darkly.

"What? Me?" Zack replied. "I didn't do anything! She fell down the stairs!"

"Uh huh. An accident, that's your story?" Mr. Moseby said, folding his arms over his chest. "So how'd you do it? Trip wire on the upper deck? Grease on the handrail?"

"No!" Zack cried indignantly. "Mr. Moseby, those things are _dangerous_. You think I'm trying to kill the passengers?"

Mr. Moseby scrubbed a hand over his face. "No, I think you're trying to kill _me_." he groaned.

Zack turned to the passengers still mulling around the deck. "You all saw what happened. Somebody tell him I had nothing to do with it!"

Nobody said a word.

"He really had nothing to do with it this time, Mr. Moseby." Cody spoke up dutifully, knowing full well that the ship's manager wasn't going to take his word for it.

"Somebody whose word Moseby trusts, tell him I had nothing to do with it!" Zack amended. "Ow!" Mr. Moseby had seized him by the ear.

"It's detention for you, mister!" Moseby hissed, pulling him off the deck.

"But I'm right in the middle of my- ow,- shift- ow. Ow. Ow..."

Cody looked after his brother sympathetically, then shrugged and went back to his towels. To be fair, even if Zack had nothing to do with that accident, whatever Moseby could dish out, Zack probably had it coming. He cocked his head as he heard a gurgling sound coming from nearby. "What was that?" Looking around the deck, he saw that nearly all the passengers had cleared out after the accident. The high pitched squeal came again, this time followed by a tinny wailing sound. "What the-?"

He followed the sound to a pile of towels sitting beside an empty lounge chair. As he stared at it, it began to wiggle. "Ah… ah…" Cody bit his lip nervously. Tentatively, he reached down to pluck the top towel off the squirming pile, whipping it over his head. He froze in shock at the sight of a baby's round face wrapped in the nest of towels. "Baby…?"

The baby looked up and gave him a toothless grin. She only looked to be a few months old, with big blue eyes and dark, wispy hair.

"Uh, hi, baby."Cody looked around for any sign of the baby's mother or father, but the deck was deserted. "Where's your parents?" He dropped the towel into the laundry basket. "Hello? Whose baby is this?" he called.

Receiving no answer, he sighed, turning and picking up the baby gently. "Don't worry, baby. We'll find your mommy." Looking around for anyone who could help him, he spotted London crossing the upper deck. "London, can you come here for a minute? Guess what I just found."

London flounced over. "Make it fast Cody, I'm late for my mani/pedi." She stared at him expectantly. "So... what is it?"

"Uh, it's a baby." Cody said impatiently, holding up the little girl. "Can you hold her while I go find Mr. Moseby?"

"Aw!" London apparently hadn't noticed the baby until Cody pointed her out. "Who's a pretty baby? You are!" She reached out to take her from Cody. As soon as she was in London's arms the little girl started screaming. "Okay she's noisy I don't want her." London said quickly, passing her back to Cody.

The baby quieted immediately. Cody sighed. "Okay then. Can you go tell Mr. Moseby we found a baby and we don't know where the mother is?"

London waved a hand at him. "I _think_ I can handle that." she laughed, going inside.

"She's not coming back, is she?" Cody asked the baby, who gurgled in response.

* * *

"I can't find Moseby anywhere!" Cody said, frustrated, entering his cabin. "Hey Woody, thanks for watching the b- Woody! Babies can't eat corn chips!"

"Why not?" Woody said, holding the screaming baby in one arm and popping the chip he'd been trying to feed her into his own mouth.

"Because they don't have teeth! Give her here." Cody snapped, holding his arms out to take her back.

"Fine." Woody grumbled. "She hasn't stopped crying since you left! I just thought a snack would make her happy... Corn chips always make _me_ happy." he handed over the child. "I don't like her. She's giving me a headache! And: she stinks."

"_You_ think _she_ stinks." Cody said sarcastically. "That's ironic." Then he caught a whiff of the baby's diaper. "Wow, she does stink. Do you know how to change a diaper?"

"No, I'm the youngest in my family." Woody said. "Everyone else had to change _my_ diapers."

"But I thought you had a little sister?"

Woody shrugged. "Yeah but she was potty trained first."

"O...kay..." Cody said slowly. The baby had stopped crying and was now contentedly drooling on his shoulder. "Hey, Bailey has a bunch of little sisters, I bet she can help." He left his roommate eating corn chips and carried the baby up the hall to the girls' cabins. When he got to Bailey and London's door, he knocked.

"Hey Cody. Who's this?" Bailey answered the door, smiling at the adorable picture they made standing outside her room.

"Long story." Cody sighed. "The upshot of it is, I found a baby and I need help taking care of her, and London scares her and Woody tries to feed her fried foods and Zack is stuck in detention... What do you think?"

"Of course I'll help." Bailey said kindly. She held out her arms to take the baby. "Hewwo there!" she greeted the baby in a sweet murmur.

Smiling at the way she had already lapsed into baby-talk, Cody handed the baby over to Bailey gently. "Don't be offended if she starts crying. So far she hates everyone but me."

But the baby was laughing as Bailey bounced her on her hip. "Whew, you need a change, kiddo." she said, casting a glance around the room. "I'm sure there's a store on board where we can buy diapers, but until then..." She grabbed a bandanna out of her nightstand. "This oughtta work. Cody, hand me that bath towel?"

Spreading the towel out on her desk, Bailey laid the baby down on top of it. She quickly took off the girl's soiled diaper and, with some creative folding of the bandanna, managed to fashion a new one. "Now, that's better, isn't it?" she cooed, making a funny face. The baby giggled.

"Wow, that was impressive." Cody said admiringly. "You're really great with kids."

Bailey blushed and shrugged. "When you have to babysit six kids, you sometimes need to improvise." She sank down on the bed and held the baby in her lap. "What's her name, Cody?"

Cody shrugged. "I don't know. Like I said, I haven't been able to find her parents, and she wasn't exactly carrying I.D."

"We should give her a name." Bailey said. "We can't just call her 'baby'."

"I don't know..." Cody said, unsure. "If we name her, we'll start getting attached."

"For heaven's sake!" Bailey laughed off his concern. She patted the bed next to her to urge him to sit down. "It will be a temporary name, until we find out who she really is. Come on, Cody. If you had a daughter, what would you name her?"

Cody sat next to her. "I don't know, Bailey. I've never really thought about it."

"Well, think about it!" Bailey commanded. She held up the little girl so Cody could see her face clearly. "What should we call her?"

Cody thought for a moment. "How about... Janie?"

"Janie..." Bailey tested it out. "I like it."

"Because she's a Jane Doe." Cody explained quickly.

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She reached around to cover the baby's eyes. "Janie! Where's Cody?" she gasped playfully. She removed her hand so the baby could see him once more. "Oh! There he is!" The child giggled, and so did Bailey.

Cody folded his arms. "See, Bailey, _you're _getting attached." he accused, trying not to smile at the combined sweetness of Bailey's and Janie's gazes.

"Nonsense!" Bailey said, covering Janie's eyes again. "Oh no Janie! Where's Cody?"

* * *

"We'd better get inside. It's starting to rain." Bailey pointed out. She and Cody were walking on the main deck, returning from their shopping trip. Bailey was carrying a bag full of diapers, clothes, and baby food. Janie was resting in Cody's arms, her tiny head nestled on his shoulder.

"Not so loud... she's asleep." Cody murmured, shooting the infant a tender glance. Lifting his head, he spotted Mr. Moseby just ahead of them, talking frantically into his cell phone. "Bailey, take her for a minute. I'm going to go catch Moseby." Obediently, Bailey slung the bag over her shoulder and accepted the sleeping child. Once he was sure Bailey had a firm hold on her, Cody let go of Janie and ran after the ship's manager. "Mr. Moseby!"

Mr. Moseby hung up the phone and fixed a sour glance on him. "Not now, Cody. I'm having a devil of a time getting in touch with any of the relatives of the woman your delinquent brother knocked into a coma!"

"Zack didn't do it." Cody defended automatically. His eyes widened. "She's really in a coma?"

Mr. Moseby ran a hand over his bald head in agitation. "Yes! The ship's doctor says her head injury is touch-and-go. He doesn't know when she'll wake up. And I can't get in touch with any of her emergency contacts! This is a nightmare!"

Cody nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry about that, Mr. Moseby, but we've got another problem. Earlier, on the Sky Deck, I found-" He was cut off by the ringing of Mr. Moseby's cell phone.

Mr. Moseby checked the caller I.D. and shot him a pleading look. "This is the ship's doctor calling. Is this problem an emergency? Can you take care of it?" He was starting to edge away without really waiting to hear Cody's answer.

"Uh... I guess so." Cody answered. Moseby nodded gratefully, holding up his index finger to indicate that he was taking the call and walking indoors.

Cody returned to Bailey and Janie, who had awoken and was crying. "Aww, Janie, what's wrong?" Bailey was crooning, trying awkwardly to balance the baby and the bag. She returned Janie to Cody, and the girl immediately settled down. She stared at Cody in wonderment. "It's so cute how she always stops crying for you."

Cody looked at the baby fondly. "Well, I was the one who found her." he reasoned. "Maybe she just knows me best."

"What did Moseby say?" Bailey asked anxiously.

"Nothing." Cody answered. "He's too busy to deal with it. He asked if I could take care of it." he shrugged. "I figured we could handle her for a little longer."

"I guess so." Bailey said. "We'd better get back to our cabins though. It's almost curfew." The wind began to pick up, and the two teens ducked inside. Suddenly the ship lurched and Bailey lost her balance.

Cody caught her, steadying her with one hand. "Whoa there." he teased. "Still getting your sea legs?"

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Thanks." she said. "This is gonna be some storm. Those clouds remind me of the storms back in Kansas... the ones that usually end with the roof coming off our house."

"Yeah..." Cody agreed, not sure whether she was being serious. "It looks like a bad one. Hopefully the rocking won't keep us all awake tonight." They finally reached Bailey's cabin.

"You know, I could take Janie for the night." Bailey offered. "I don't mind."

"Won't London mind?" Cody pointed out. "She is pretty fond of her beauty sleep."

Bailey shook her head. "London got off the ship once the waves started picking up. She told her dad she was getting seasick and he sent her a helicopter."

"Typical London." Cody noted. "But seriously, I would feel bad dumping all this responsibility for Janie on you."

Bailey held out her arms for the baby. "What if I promised to come get you if I can't get her to stop crying?"

Cody considered for a minute. "Okay." he consented. They took Janie inside Bailey and London's cabin and proceeded to create a makeshift "crib" on London's bed with blankets. Cody leaned over to kiss the baby in Bailey's arms. "Good night, Janie." he whispered. His eyes met Bailey's. "Good night, Bailey."

Bailey bit her lip, blushing at his close proximity and warm gaze. "Good night, Cody." she answered softly.

* * *

The clock on Cody's bedside table read 2:38am when a loud crash of thunder woke him. In the next bed, Woody snored on. Of course, nothing ever woke him.

There was a soft knock on the door and Cody hurried to open it, taking in the sight of a tired-looking Bailey, wearing a long white nightgown and cradling a crying Janie. "Sorry to wake you, Cody." she apologized. "But I'm not sure what to do. She doesn't need to be changed, and she won't eat... I think she might just be afraid of the storm."

There was another loud roar of thunder. "Could be." Cody said. "Hi, Janie... Cody's here." he murmured, taking Janie in his arms and rocking her. "Don't be scared..." He made comforting noises and the squirming baby calmed slightly, but continued to sob.

"We can bring her back to my cabin." Bailey suggested. "No point in waking Woody too, and if we get caught in the halls at this time we'll really be in trouble."

* * *

"Come on, Janie... Cheer up. Aren't you tired?" Cody crooned exhaustedly, bouncing the wailing baby gently on his lap. It was after 4:30 in the morning, and they'd been trying to get Janie to sleep for almost two hours. They'd walked her, rocked her, even read to her, but as soon as she quieted down a rumble of thunder or rough wave would cause her to start crying again.

"Cody..." Bailey yawned, resting her chin on his shoulder. "This isn't working."

"I don't know what else to do." Cody admitted. "I guess we'll just have to wait until she cries herself out."

"Please, sweetie," Bailey addressed the baby, "Cody and Bailey need to sleep. Pleeeease?"

Cody gave her an amused look. "I don't think begging is going to help." he said. "The outlook on bribery and groveling isn't too good either."

"I know..." Bailey sighed. "But it was worth a shot... You know, I'm almost at the point where I could fall asleep whether she's crying or not."

She nuzzled her head into Cody's shoulder and he could feel his face heating up. "You can lie down if you want, Bailey. I'll try to keep her quiet."

"Mmm, no, s'okay." Bailey mumbled into his neck. "I'm awake."

"Sure you are." Cody teased gently, resting his head lightly on top of hers. He settled Janie into the crook of his arm. The baby was still whimpering, but she was starting to blink sleepily, and she was sucking on four of her own tiny fingers. Cody made soothing noises until her big blue eyes drifted shut. They sat in contented silence for a long time before Cody was convinced that Janie was not going to wake up. "I think she's finally asleep, Bailey." he said in his quietest whisper, fearful of disturbing the sleeping child. Slowly, he removed Janie's fingers from her mouth, dropping a quick kiss on the soft skin of her forehead. "Uh, Bailey?"

Bailey's head was still tucked into his shoulder, and she didn't stir. Her breathing was slow and even- she too was fast asleep. Cody closed his eyes briefly, savoring the moment, before placing Janie in her little nest on London's bed. "'Night Janie." he whispered. Then he reached an arm around Bailey's shoulders and lowered her slowly onto her own pillow. She looked so peaceful and beautiful in her sleep that he couldn't help staring at her. Bailey really was special- smart, kind, just generally amazing... It wasn't just anyone who would stay up half the night helping him take care of a strange baby. Before he rose to leave, he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Bailey's forehead as well. "'Night Bailey."

* * *

A/N: Part 2 coming soon! Please review!


	2. Part II

Disclaimer: Not mine.

* * *

When Cody's alarm went off the next morning he groaned and dragged himself out of bed, still tired from his late night last night. Figuring Bailey might need some help with Janie, he threw on some clothes and went to her cabin, tapping lightly on the door, hoping not to wake the baby if she was still sleeping. When Bailey didn't answer, he knocked a little louder. Through the door, he heard stirring, and then a loud gasp. Bailey came to the door still in her nightgown.

"Sorry! I overslept!" she said urgently. "Thanks for coming to get me."

"It's the least I could do after you let Janie stay here last night." Cody said gratefully. "But we've got to hurry or we'll be late for Tutweiller's class."

"What are we going to do with Janie while we're at school?" Bailey asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

Cody shrugged. "Bring her with us, I guess. It's not like we can get in trouble for it- Moseby _did_ tell me to take care of her. Do you want me to feed her while you get ready?"

"Good idea." Bailey handed him a bottle and the formula they had bought yesterday. By the time Cody had gone to the kitchen and back to prepare the formula, Bailey was dressed and ready for school. She was trying to dress Janie in the little outfit they had gotten for her, but the squirming baby wasn't making it easy to get her arms in the sleeves. "Come on, Janie, it's almost time for school! Don't forget to test it on your skin." Bailey reminded Cody, nodding at the bottle.

Cody dripped some of the milk onto his wrist. "Not too hot." He picked up Janie, who was bright eyed and smiling as she gripped the bottle in her tiny hands and began to drink from it. "Well good morning to _you_!" he grumbled good-naturedly.

Zack did a double-take when Cody and Bailey walked into the classroom, Bailey toting a bag of diapers and bottles along with her normal schoolbag, Cody holding an infant against his chest. "Dude, did you know there's a baby on your shoulder?" he pointed out, confused.

"Shh!" Cody said, motioning for him to be quiet. "I know." Miss Tutweiller came in and Cody took his seat near the back of the room before Zack could ask him any more questions.

Zack sat at his own desk, right behind Bailey's front row seat, as Miss Tutweiller started teaching. "Bailey." he whispered. She ignored him, focusing on the teacher. "Bailey!" Once Miss Tutweiller turned her back to write on the blackboard, he tugged on Bailey's ponytail. "Where'd the baby come from?" he hissed.

"Ow!" Bailey turned her head, giving him a sour look. She looked exhausted. "Well, Zack, when a mommy and a daddy love each other verrrrrry much..." she returned sarcastically.

Zack blinked at her, then at Cody. "Uh... What are you saying here?"

Bailey blushed, rolling her eyes. "Definitely not _that._ Cody found her and I'm just helping him take care of her."

"Zack, Bailey? Anything you'd like to share with the class?" Miss Tutweiller said impatiently.

"Sorry, Miss Tut-" Bailey began to apologize but was cut off by a loud wail from the back of the classroom. "Oh, Janie..." she sighed.

Cody was bouncing the baby, trying to comfort her. "Shhh..." he murmured. The entire class was watching him. "Sorry Miss Tutweiller."

Miss Tutweiller, along with most of the rest of the class, was looking from Cody to Bailey in confusion. "Uh, Cody? Bailey? What's going on here? Whose baby is that, and why is she in my classroom?" she asked lightly.

"I think she needs to be burped." Bailey said to Cody. "Give her here." Grabbing a spit cloth out of her backpack, Bailey draped the cloth over her neck, then settled the screaming baby over her shoulder, patting her back gently.

Cody addressed Miss Tutweiller. "We don't know whose baby she is. I found her all by herself yesterday on the Sky Deck, and we've been taking care of her ever since."

"_You've _been taking care of her?" Miss Tutweiller repeated.

Bailey looked affronted. "We've been taking _very good_ care of her!" she said defensively, holding Janie close. The baby burped and spit up, the white froth missing Bailey's shoulder entirely and splattering on Zack's desk.

"I'm sure you have!" Miss Tutweiller said anxiously. "But this baby's parents must be frantic! You have to return her!"

"Gross." Zack muttered, looking at the mess on his desk in dismay, and realizing how close it had been to hitting his face. Janie stopped crying and smiled her toothless smile over Bailey's shoulder at him. "All right, I forgive you." Zack relented with a little wave, which caused Janie to giggle adorably.

"Don't you think we tried?" Cody asked his teacher. "Nobody claimed her, and Mr. Moseby was too busy to take her. He told me to take care of her!"

Miss Tutweiller folded her arms doubtfully. "Mr. Moseby was too busy to deal with the fact that _somebody lost a baby on his cruise ship?_ No, no, no, I don't think so." She picked up her desk phone and dialed the front desk. "Mr. Moseby, it's Emma. Listen-"

The entire class could hear hysterical yelling on the other end.

"You're missing a baby... you don't say." Miss Tutweiller repeated, eying Cody and Bailey accusingly. Moseby's frantic yelling didn't stop and Miss Tutweiller tried to talk over him. "Mr. Moseby... Mr.- Mr. Moseby! That's what I'm- That's what I'm calling... about- _Mr. Moseby the baby is in my classroom!_" she finally burst out. The noise on the other end of the line ceased. "Of course I'm sure!... I _know_ what a baby looks like, Mr. M.! ... Uh-huh. Okay." She hung up the phone. "He'll be right here..." She looked around at her students with a long-suffering sigh. "Yet another day where no work gets done due to a comical misunderstanding at Seven Seas High."

Mr. Moseby arrived out of breath, wiping his face with a silk handkerchief. "Emma, Cody? Can I see you in the hall for a moment?" he asked impatiently.

"I'm coming too." Bailey insisted, tossing Zack the spit towel to as she followed them out.

"Turn to page 52 in your textbooks and read the next lesson." Miss Tutweiller instructed on her way out the door. "And Zack, it's detention for you if I see one flying rubber band, spitball, paper airplane, paper football-"

"Emma!" Mr. Moseby called, and Miss Tutweiller snapped to attention, with a warning parting look to Zack.

Zack made a face as he wiped off the surface of his desk. "My reputation is no longer an asset." he grumbled.

* * *

In the hallway, Mr. Moseby was glaring down the teens, a sinister expression on his face. Bailey, cradling Janie, tried to avoid his impending wrath by huddling behind Cody.

"You couldn't have mentioned finding a BABY?" Mr. Moseby exploded at Cody. "Do you know how frantic I've been?!"

Cody's eyes widened innocently. "I tried to tell you, Mr. Moseby, but you were too busy with your coma patient! You told me to handle it!"

"That was before I knew it was a BABY!" Moseby spat comically.

"But-"

"Let me repeat: a BABY!"

Janie began to cry.

"Mr. Moseby, you're scaring her!" Bailey reprimanded, peering over Cody's shoulder.

"He's scaring me too." Cody cracked. "Mr. Moseby, calm down. We've been taking really good care of her. She's fine."

Mr. Moseby rubbed a hand over his face, calming down. "I finally got a hold of the coma patient's husband in New York City this morning, and he told me she was traveling with their young daughter. I'm sorry to be so uptight, I'm just so relieved to have found her... I was afraid she'd gone overboard!"

Bailey looked at Janie sympathetically. "Well what's the prognosis on her mom?" she asked hesitantly.

"The doctor says he's seeing signs of increased brain activity." Moseby said. "He says she could come out of it at any time." He held out his arms to take Janie. "You should have told me about her sooner, Cody." he said sternly, "But thank you for taking care of her. You too, Bailey."

Bailey held the baby out to Moseby for a second before cuddling her close once more. "Mr. Moseby, couldn't we keep taking care of her until her mom wakes up? We're docking in New York City tomorrow, Saturday, and London hasn't come back yet, so we've got the time and the room. And she already knows us..."

Mr. Moseby frowned. "It goes against all my instincts to trust a Martin twin with a human child..."

"He has a point." Cody admitted sadly.

"But it's _Cody_!" Bailey rushed to point out.

"So does she." Miss Tutweiller assured, patting Cody on the back fondly. "Cody and Bailey are two of the most responsible students on board. ...Possibly the _only_ responsible students on board." she added through her teeth.

"Well, all right, if you're sure." Mr. Moseby gave in. "And if you don't mind her being in class, Emma."

Miss Tutweiller waved it off. "Well... she _is _cute. And she can't be any more whiny than London." she reasoned. "Now come on, kids. Let's try to salvage some of today's class time."

Cody and Bailey followed her back into the classroom. "I told you not to get attached..." Cody whispered to Bailey.

"I'm not!" Bailey responded defensively. "I just feel sorry for her, that's all. Plus, would you want to be babysat by Mr. Moseby?"

"I _have_ been babysat by Mr. Moseby." Cody pointed out. "...And... you're right. Good call."

* * *

Despite the fierce storm of the night before, the afternoon turned out warm and sunny. After school let out, while Cody was working, Bailey walked Janie along the Sky Deck. "It's good to be out of school, huh, Janie?" she said, talking to the baby absently. "But don't get too used to it, 'cause you'll be spending plenty of time there in a few short years." She spotted Cody handing out towels on the other side of the deck. "Look, there's Cody!" she pointed out, taking Janie's hand and waving at him. Cody smiled and waved back.

"Coi!" Janie babbled, and Bailey's eyes widened. She rushed over to the towel stand.

"Cody! Janie just said your name!" she cried proudly.

"She did?" Cody gasped. "That's my girl! Say it again, Janie! Who am I?"

Janie grabbed his finger and shook it excitedly, babbling more nonsense sounds. "Come on Janie! Whozzat? Who is that?" Bailey prompted, but no amount of prompting could make Janie repeat his name. After a few minutes of trying, Bailey shrugged. "She did say it."

"Aw... well, maybe later." Cody said, disappointed. He handed his last towel to a sunbathing passenger. "I've gotta go get more towels from the ship's laundry. I'll be right back."

"Okay." Bailey said. "Hey Janie, let's go see Zack?" She took the child over to the juice bar where Zack was working and sat on a stool, setting the little girl on the counter in front of her. "Hey Zack, what's up?"

"The usual." Zack shrugged. He touched the baby's nose and she giggled. "Hey Janie! What can I get you, Bailey?"

"Hmm... surprise me." she requested. When Zack set a Blueberry Frost down in front of her she lifted it away from Janie's grasping hands. "I don't think so, kiddo. This is cold! But I have a better idea..." Reaching into her bag, she retrieved a spoon and a jar of baby food. "Ta-da!"

Zack wrinkled his nose at the unappetizing orange-y color. "'Carrots N' Cauliflower'?" he read off the label. "How is this a good idea for _anyone_?"

"Well she likes it." Bailey retorted. She dipped the spoon in the jar and then spooned some of the saucelike mixture into Janie's mouth. What came back out, she caught with the spoon and tried again. "See? Yummy carrots!" she crooned. She fed Janie another spoonful.

"I can't believe she's eating that." Zack said. "Hey, Janie, wait 'til Bailey's not around and I'll hook you up with some real food." he promised in a stage whisper.

Bailey rolled her eyes at him. "Don't you dare! Hey Zack, can you watch her for like two minutes while I run to the bathroom?" Before he could refuse, she shoved the spoon and jar into his hands. "Thanks!" She hopped off the stool and ran inside.

"Cody's not going to like that you trusted me with his baby!" Zack called after her, but she was already gone. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid." Luckily there were no other customers at the moment, so Zack scooped some mushed carrots-and-cauliflower onto the spoon and fed it into Janie's mouth, just as he had seen Bailey do. Unlike when Bailey did it, however, ninety percent of what went in came dripping back out of her mouth. "Aw, come on." He scraped it gently off of her face and tried again. This time, he made train noises. "Chugga chugga chugga... here comes the choo choo! Open the tunnel!"

Janie spit the entire spoonful out, spraying herself, the counter, and Zack with flecks of carrot. "Gross!" Zack exclaimed for the second time that day. "You're pushing it, kiddo." He scooped up another spoonful. "Now be good for Zack?" he suggested, but by that time Janie had clamped her tiny mouth shut and steadfastly refused to open it, no matter what he did. "Very funny, Bailey." he muttered darkly. "Come on, Janie, it's yummy. Look,_ I_ like it..." He took a small spoonful and tasted it himself, almost gagging. "_Mmmm_."

"It's good, right?" Woody said, suddenly appearing at the counter. "I like to spread it on sandwiches."

Zack blanched. "Please, Wood-man, some of us around here would actually like to keep _down_ our lunch."

Janie burbled and spit up on herself.

"...Evidently she's not one of us."

* * *

"Look, Janie! New York! You're home!" Bailey cooed, holding the child up to see the infamous skyline. It was Saturday, and the ship was newly docked in the harbor.

Zack was hanging over the edge of the nearby railing, scanning the crowd for his mother. "Hey Bailey, where'd my brother go? He said he'd be here to meet Mom."

"He'll be right back, he just wanted to change out of his work clothes." Bailey said.

Mr. Moseby made his way over. "Wonderful news, Bailey. The little girl's mother just woke up. The ship's doctor is clearing her for release as we speak."

Bailey grinned at Janie. "Did you hear that, sweetie? Mommy's all better! You'll get to see Mommy soon!"

Mr. Moseby turned to Zack next, a resigned expression on his face. "As for you, Zack, well, I... I'm afraid I owe you an apology. When the child's mother woke up, she was able to tell us what happened to her, and her story matches yours. She said it was an accident, that the rocking of the boat caused her to trip and fall down the stairs, and that you had nothing to do with it." Moseby looked a little green around the gills at having to humble himself to Zack. "I was wrong to accuse you, and I'm sorry." he finished quickly.

Zack folded his arms smugly. "Thank you, Mr. Moseby."

"Although it's not like you haven't injured people before." Moseby added in his own defense.

"You have a point." Zack agreed. Satisfied with that, Mr. Moseby hurried off.

"Was having Mr. Moseby apologize worth the extra detention?" Bailey asked Zack.

"Uh... _no._" Zack said, making a face. Janie found it hilarious and burst into giggles, which made Bailey and Zack laugh too. "You know kid, you're not so bad, despite the drool." Zack said, tickling her gently.

"Zachary Martin, that had better not be your baby." Carey Martin said, standing at the top of the gangplank with a suspicious look in her eye.

Zack and Bailey looked at the baby, then at each other, and jumped apart.

"Ew!" Bailey cried, wrinkling her nose at Zack.

"Geez, Mom!" Zack turned to Bailey. "Is there _anything_ people think I won't do? First Moseby, then Tutweiller, now my own mother!"

Bailey shrugged. "Your reputation as a problem child is out of control."

Carey rubbed a hand over her son's shoulder. "I was joking, honey, I knew you weren't-"

"Coi!" Janie shouted at the top of her lungs, cutting her off.

Cody came up and swept her out of Bailey's arms, hugging her and grinning widely. "That's right, Janie! That's my girl! Who's my girl?!"

"Well I don't know what to make of _that._" Carey croaked in surprise.

"Hi, Mom." Cody said, embracing her with the arm that wasn't holding Janie. "This is Janie. I found her all alone a few days ago, and Bailey and I have been taking care of her while her mother is in the infirmary."

"Oh thank god." Carey gasped, holding a hand to her chest. The three teens looked at her reproachfully. "What? I'm too young to be a grandmother!"

Cody was grinning at Janie once more. "I can't believe she knows my name. Did you all hear her?"

"We heard!" Bailey said proudly, throwing her arms around Cody and the baby. "Say it again, Janie!"

"Coi! Coi!" Janie repeated at the encouragement, gleefully grabbing fistfuls of both Bailey's and Cody's hair. Bailey and Cody laughed together as they tried to disentangle themselves.

"Look how happy he looks." Carey murmured, smiling at the adorable sight.

"I think it's a she, Mom." Zack said from beside her, watching the trio skeptically.

"I meant Cody."

"So did I."

Suddenly the baby changed her shout. "Mama!" she wailed. Cody turned around to see the young woman who had fallen down the stairs running towards them, a bandage wrapped around her forehead and a smile on her face.

"Laurie!" the woman shouted. When she reached them she lifted the little girl easily out of Cody's arms and swung her around. "Oh, Laurie, I'm so sorry, baby. Thank goodness you're safe." She pressed her face to the baby's cheek and looked at Cody and Bailey gratefully. "The ship's manager told me all about how you two found Laurie and took care of her. How can I ever thank you?"

"No thanks necessary." Cody said. "Anyone would have done the same."

"We're just happy she's back where she belongs." Bailey added, reaching over and squeezing Cody's hand.

"Let me at least pay you for your trouble." the woman said, juggling the baby to her other arm as she dug through her purse.

"No, really." Cody insisted, holding up a hand. "That's not necessary at all. We were happy to do it."

"Yeah, we had fun." Bailey said softly. "Your daughter really is a sweetie. You said her name was Laurie?"

"That's right." the woman said cheerfully. "My! You probably saved my daughter's life and we've never been properly introduced! I'm Melissa Benton, and this is Laurie-Anne."

"Hi, Laurie!" Bailey cooed at the baby, trying out the unfamiliar name. "Mrs. Benton, I'm Bailey Pickett, and this is my friend Cody Martin. He's the one who found her."

Melissa shook Cody's hand. "I can never thank you enough, Cody. You're wrong about one thing- not anyone would have done the same."

"Thanks, Mrs. Benton." Cody said. "We're so glad you're all right. How is your head?"

Melissa touched her bandage gingerly. "Still a little sore, but at least I'm conscious." she chuckled. "They said I was out for almost two days! What a waste of vacation time, right?" She sighed. "I guess I should go back to my cabin and get myself and Laurie packed up. My husband should be meeting us, and I know he's awfully worried since he got that phone call from Mr. Moseby."

"Mr. Moseby does have that effect on people." Cody agreed. "Do you mind if I say goodbye to J-... Laurie?"

Melissa smiled warmly as she handed over the baby. "Not at all."

Cody pulled the little girl into a gentle hug and kissed the downy crown of her head. "Goodbye, Janie." he whispered, so softly that only she could hear. "I'm gonna miss you."

"Coi!" the baby replied.

Bailey leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Goodbye, princess. You were a better roommate than London will ever be!"

Cody handed Laurie back to Melissa. "Take care." he said, forcing a smile.

"Oh, I will!" Melissa promised, frowning curiously at Laurie, who had begun to cry as she was taken from Cody's arms. "Come on, sweetheart. We're going to go see Daddy soon!" The baby continued to whimper, staring at Cody and Bailey with big eyes.

Bailey waved goodbye until Melissa and Laurie were out of sight. "I'm kind of sorry to see her go." she said sadly.

"Me too." Cody said quietly. He walked away from the group toward an empty section of the deck.

Carey reached out a hand to rub his shoulder as he went past. "Sweetie, you did a good thing."

Cody ignored her, finding an empty section of railing on the opposite side of the deck and leaning over it, staring into the murky water. Bailey sighed. "He told me not to get too attached." she said to Zack and Carey. "Maybe I should go talk to him."

"I can go." Carey offered. "I'm his moth-" she stopped suddenly at a look from Zack. "-Err, which is why you should go, Bailey?"

Bailey crossed the deck to his side and mirrored his position, hanging her arms over the rail. "I'm going to miss her too, Cody." she said softly. "But it was fun while it lasted, right?"

"I guess so." Cody said. "I just hate saying goodbye. She was such a great kid."

"Yes, she was." Bailey agreed, putting a comforting arm around his back and rubbing it gently. "And she's back with her family now."

"I know." Cody shrugged. "It's just that I always get too attached."

Smiling, Bailey pulled him into a tight hug. "That's not a bad thing." she whispered. "It was really sweet, watching you with Janie. You're gonna make a great dad someday Cody." She pulled back and pecked him on the lips. She wasn't sure what made her do it. After spending the past two days with him and Janie, she felt really close to him, and she couldn't help but be attracted to his natural sympathy and kindness.

"Uh, thanks." Cody was blushing. "You were really great with her too. I mean, the two of you together were just adorable."

"Thanks." Bailey said shyly, looking into his face. "And we totally made a great team." She tilted her head to the side and leaned in, as if she was being drawn towards him by some magnetic force.

"Yeah, we did." Cody breathed. He kissed her this time, more deeply, holding her waist with one hand and running the other through her long hair. She responded enthusiastically, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss.

"Zack, I don't see why you wouldn't let me go comfort him." Carey was saying. "You know that your brother gets very emotional about this sort of thing. I just want to make sure he's going to be okay."

Zack looked past her at Cody and Bailey sharing a heated lip-lock. "Uh, Mom? I think he's gonna be fine."

* * *

A/N: The End! Thanks once more to Boris Yeltsin for requesting a story where Cody and Bailey take care of an abandoned baby. Hope you all enjoyed it, and don't forget to review!


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